How Thirty Six Months of Full-timing in Thirty Six Feet Ends Unexpectedly

And thus the best laid plans of mice and men set us on a different path..... we didn't mean to do it quite yet, although we always planned to eventually settle in Anacortes, but we ended up buying a house. It comes with an RV pad, is move-in ready, configured exactly the way we dreamed, and comes with a peak-a-boo view of the Sound. 
It happened much sooner than we anticipated but when a house with all the right attributes suddenly pops up for sale, it's pretty hard to walk away from it. Perhaps it was meant to be.

But it did rather change direction for us and our plans to travel to the Maritimes and the east coast next year.

We knew we would like to settle in Anacortes. And we have over the years discussed what type and size of house we would want, the ideal floor plan, the location, and of course there would have to be room to park our Alpine and perhaps one more.
For the past couple of years, Michael has kept an eye on the Anacortes housing market and the types of homes that listed for sale.  We have on previous trips walked around different neighborhoods scouting out areas we might consider one day. We were leaning towards a house in old downtown, within walking distance of shops, the library and hospital, and a downtown community. We also considered a house that we could own but perhaps rent out while we continued to travel full time for a few more years. Having just sold our Redmond house at the beginning of the year, it made financial sense to reinvest in real estate rather than having all our funds in the market. 

There have been a few possible homes for sale that Michael identified but just like the Goldilocks story, some homes were too old, others too big, many were two storey, and few if any had a place for the Alpine to park. We knew that finding our ideal home with all the attributes we were looking for would take time. One home that we were interested to take a look at sold before we arrived in town. The realization became quite clear that it is in fact a challenge to consider buying a house sight unseen and long-distance. Ideally you do need to be in the area to look for a house. And since we were not really in the market quite yet, we figured we would keep looking and if the right opportunity came along we would give it due consideration and make appropriate plans at the time. 
But we were in no hurry.  And there seemed to be no new listings for several days after we arrived here.
Then unexpectedly and out of the blue, just three days after the kids left, a new listing popped up on Zillow. Michael announced that morning that he found a house I would like and I replied from bed where I was playing my Word game and sipping my morning tea, that it didn't make a difference because we weren't ready to buy one and, anyway, like with all the others, there would be something not quite right about it.
But he persisted that I would really like what I saw on the listing photos and encouraged me to come take a look. Which I grudgingly did, interrupting my game and getting out of bed. 

Floor plan? Just like we want - a great-room concept with a good sized kitchen, dining area and living area. And all on one floor. 
Size? Perfect - just over 2,000 sq feet.
Bedrooms? Three - master, plus two more, one a guest room the other a sewing/office room.
Bathrooms - two, both really nice.
And look at that dream master bedroom walk-in closet  - we don't have enough clothes for that closet!
Place for Alpine to park? Yes, at the side of the house with hookups.
In downtown? No - but this neighborhood is about three miles out of downtown, and it has a view across the Sound to the Olympic Mountains. Hmmm...
The listing photos presented a house in pristine condition that was move-in ready, with bonus features like wood flooring throughout the house, a metal roof and HardiePlank siding, in a well established neighborhood that we were familiar with and I walked in several years ago during the time Michael worked for a short period for a Mt Vernon company.   

Now this presented us with a great dilemma.... what should we do? We knew this house in this condition would be snapped up. 
The sensible thing was to contact our agents and set up an appointment to see it. Listing photos can present a more glowing picture of a house than when you actually see it in person.
We viewed the house the very next morning. 
The pictures did not lie. The house was in fact lovely, in pristine condition, recently painted and upgraded and perfect for us.
Nothing is ever completely perfect but we could live with a few minor imperfections. This neighborhood is about 3 miles north of downtown and therefore not within walk-able distance like we preferred. However there is a community club, beach access to a couple of small beaches, several places to walk, and access to forested trails just up the road from the house. Because the Skyline community is located on a hill and the homes are built on a slope, the living area of the house is all on one level but the double garage is situated below and accessed via a steep flight of stairs leading from the house, a future challenge for aging legs perhaps. And the RV pad is not as level as Michael would like so he will need to figure out a plan to compensate for the slope at the back. The main point is that this neighborhood is RV and boat friendly and there is no problem parking either at the house. The rest were minor adjustments and we could see ourselves growing really old in this house that would suit us perfectly in every other way.

I was in anguish. This was not supposed to happen quite yet. That was not the plan and we had in fact only been "homeless" for less than 4 months since selling our Redmond house earlier in the year.
But it was hard to walk away from a house that seemed so perfect. 
We debated, we speculated, and we put in an offer. 
It was accepted.
And just like that, we became homeowners again! 
And our 36 months of full-timing in our 36-foot Alpine abruptly ended. 
And ushered in a new chapter in our lives. The next question we pondered was what type of "timers" would we become: three-quarter (nine months away and 3 months at home), half (six months away), or less travel than that? We agreed that we would prefer to continue travelling for as long and as much as we could but would always return home for the summer. Anacortes is most definitely the place to be during the summer months and if we were to travel to where the weather is best, then being away for the winter made the most sense.               

The house purchase certainly shifted our focus from a relaxing summer in Anacortes to one of planning and organizing everything related to house ownership  - inspection, escrow, closing, insurances, change of address, driver's license, arranging for our things in storage to be delivered.  This included a lot of shopping too, for house items that would not be in storage like shower curtains, bath mats, toilet brushes, and a mattress for our bed.  We were kept occupied almost daily with something that was house related. The reality of home ownership slowly sunk in.

We did however enjoy some summer fun in between various appointments and tasks on a growing To-do list. Several friends visited and we were able to drive past the house to show them our new purchase.
During the two months we were here, Michael joined the Oars Club, a wooden boat rowing team.

Every July, the Indian nations reenact a canoe journey and this year Fidalgo Bay Resort, a Samish Indian Tribe-operated park, hosted a gathering. We watched canoes arrive from up north at Seafarers' Memorial Park and observed some of the festivities and booths associated with the celebrations. The participants camped out on the lawn areas at the RV Resort before continuing on with their journey south until they reached Seattle. 
https://laconnerweeklynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=27&ArticleID=2525

waiting for permission to enter the Samish Nation land

We attended the Skyline homeowner's association August meeting in our new neighborhood (though we had not yet moved in) and their annual picnic. We met several folks that afternoon who are also new to the Skyline neighborhood.

the clubhouse (not visible in this pic) beach area with booths and picnic tables where
we gathered - there is an active marina at this end of
the neighborhood associated with the large building in this photo

 I joined the line dancing folks at the Senior Center once a week and found out about their annual summer picnic held at Washington Park, which we also attended and met more folks.  It appears that there are a lot of retired and friendly folks who make Anacortes their home, so we are in good company!

If we were not occupied with home related projects and various appointments, I busied myself with going through cupboards and drawers to separate out the items that we would no longer need to have on board with us that could remain at home. Living in the Alpine full-time meant we had to carry everything with us, for all seasons, and for all situations including the hobbies that we enjoy. Now I could be more selective about what to have on board depending on future trips. And rather than hauling most of my fabric supplies around the country with me, I would bring only a few projects on future trips, depending on where we travel. 
I could hear Alpine heaving a grateful sigh of relief as I diligently lightened her load. We would never need to worry about being close to our weight limit again.

Although I planned to complete several projects this summer while in Anacortes, with the change of plans there was no time or space to set up my machine. But when possible I started to work on an applique landscape project that required only tracing and pressing at the initial stage. And while working on the project, I imagined what it would be like to once again have a room dedicated to all things sewing related....

While we waited to move into our new home, we continued living in Alpine and maintained our walking and exercise routines. This included daily walks along the Tommy Thompson trail across the bay hoping resident seals would appear, and if we were really lucky, we would also see the sea otter that likes to hang about the rocks.

Fidalgo Bay Resort hosted a 5K run and walk in aid of cancer prevention in which we participated. Michael of course ran while I walked. And I won a ribbon!  

2nd place walker

We explored our new forest up the road from our new house. Michael declared it far better than the Bridle Trails forest in which he used to run when we lived in Bellevue. One more confirmation for making the right choice when we bought our house.
Another exciting feature about the house is that there is a small regional airport very close to us that services private flights to the islands. So between the forest trails and small planes he can watch, this house is a dream house for Michael!

Hansen Bros delivering all our stuff
that they stored for three years

The house closed on August 22nd. 
The moving van arrived the next morning. We unpacked a few boxes and shuffled things around here and there. It was fun to unpack items that had been stored for over three years and place them in new surroundings. We had not missed them but it was nice to have them back again. 
New friends in the same neighborhood dropped in on move-in day to welcome us with beautiful dahlias from their garden. 







We spent three nights in our new home once  we got a mattress for our bed, then headed out of town.  Months ago, before we envisioned we would be buying a house this summer, we signed up for the Eastern Sierra Rally starting September 5th.  
We had four days in which to make it to Carson City, Nevada where the rally would begin.